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    Secondary stress in quadrisyllabic words
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    Quadrisyllabic words always have a secondary stress, the position of which depends on the location of the primary stress. If the penultimate syllable carries primary stress, secondary stress is always on the initial syllable. Quadrisyllabic words with antepenultimate primary stress are rare. Most of them end in the sequence -ija, which usually avoids primary stress; secondary stress is on the final syllable. If quadrisyllabic words have final primary stress, secondary stress is on the first syllable in most cases.

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    [+]General information and examples

    Quadrisyllabic words with primary stress on the penultimate syllable always have secondary stress on the initial syllable, in accordance with both the Alternating Stress Principle and the Hammock Principle. Examples are given in (1):

    1
    avokado [ˌav.vo:.ˈka:.do:] avocado
    makaroany [ˌmak.kar.'roə.ni] macaroni
    cappuccino [ˌkap.pu.'tsji.no:] cappuccino
    ravioli [ˌrav.vi.ˈjo:.li] ravioli
    alligator [ˌal.li.ˈɡa:.tɔr] alligator

    Quadrisyllabic words with antepenultimate stress are rare. Most of them end in the sequence -ija, which usually avoids primary stress (see High-vowel-plus-homorganic-glide-restriction). Secondary stress falls on the final syllable, so that the Alternating Stress Principle is obeyed. Examples are given in (2):

    2
    magnoalia [maɣ.'noə.li.ˌja] magnolia
    ammoania [am.'moə.ni.ˌja] ammonia
    tarantula [tar.ˈran.ty.ˌla] tarantula
    malaria [mal.ˈla:.ri.ˌja] malaria

    Additionally, there are some toponyms and Hebrew names with the same stress pattern as the words in (2), examples of which can be found in (3):

    3
    Turkmenistan [tørk.'me:.ni.ˌstan] Turkmenistan
    Oezbekistan [uz.ˈbe:.ki.ˌstan] Uzbekistan
    Afganistan [av.ˈɡa:.ni.ˌstan] Afghanistan
    Jeruzalim [jə.'ry.zal.ˌlɪm] Jerusalem
    Metusalim [me:.'ty.zal.ˌlɪm] Methuselah

    Quadrisyllabic words with final primary stress usually have secondary stress on the first syllable, thus obeying the Hammock Principle. Examples are given in (4):

    4
    lokomotyf [ˌlo:.ko:.mo:.ˈtif] locomotive
    fonology [ˌfo:.no:.lo:.ˈɡi] phonology
    etymolooch [ˌe:.ti.mo:.ˈlo:x] etimologist
    dominikaan [ˌdo:.mi.ni.ˈka:n] dominican
    [+]Debate

    The above-mentioned regularity that quadrisyllabic words with final primary stress usually have secondary stress on the first syllable is not without exceptions. A few derived words have secondary stress on the second instead of the initial syllable. This is the syllable carrying the primary stress in the base words. Examples are given in (5):

    5
    piraterij [pi.ˌra:.tə.ˈrɛi] piracy (base word: piraat [pi.ˈra:t] pirate )
    grammatikaal [ɡram.ˌmat.ti.ˈka:l] grammatical (base word: grammatika [ɡram.ˈma:.ti.ˌka] grammar )
    kaleidoskoop [kal.ˌlɛj.do:.ˈsko:p] kaleidoscope (there is not a base word here)

    As to Dutch, Kager (1989) argues that quadrisyllabic words may have secondary stress on the second syllable, provided the latter is closed; this constitutes a violation of the Hammock Principle. This pattern is also found in Frisian, see the example in (6):

    6
    aristokraat [ar.ˌrɪs.to:.'kra:t] aristocrat (next to: aristokraat [ˌar.rɪs.to:.'kra:t] )
    References
    • Kager, René1989A Metrical Theory of Stress and Destressing in English and DutchDordrechtForis
    About this article
    Author(s): Willem Visser, Joke Weening
    Category: Frisian Phonology
    Keywords: secondary stressquadrisyllabic words
    Version: 1.0, December 2015
    Version history:
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    1.0 Willem Visser, Joke Weening December 2015
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